Gross direct tax collections rose 12.33 per cent to Rs 4.81 lakh crore during the first nine months of this financial year against a growth target of 19 per cent for 2013-14. The government has set a direct tax collection target of over Rs 6.68 lakh crore.

Indirect tax collections grew by 5 per cent to Rs 3.07 lakh crore in the April-November period. Indirect tax estimates may have to be revised downwards by about Rs 30,000-35,000 crore from the budget estimate of Rs 5.65 lakh crore.

Excise collections dropped 5.1 per cent in April-November to about Rs 1.03 lakh crore from Rs 1.09 lakh crore, while customs revenue rose 7 per cent to Rs 1.11 lakh crore. Only service tax managed double-digit growth, of 16 per cent, to Rs 92,095 crore during the April-November period.

Chidambaram, who unveiled a new fiscal consolidation road map in October 2012, is determined not to allow any slippage in the fiscal deficittarget of 4.8 per cent of GDP for 2013-14.